Art of the Week: The Violin-Cello Players

Susanne Schuenke
North East Florida Branch
The Violin-Cello Players, 1994
oil on canvas; (also available as a 48-colored serigraph)

ARTIST STATEMENT
… to play their score, to master the instrument, to perform life …
Seven different approaches on how to play music are depicted by this view of part of the orchestra, a detail of the bigger picture – the symphony. The vivid wood colors of the instruments dominate over the subdued black dresses and they are embedded in the swirls and movements of sheer music. The players’ portraits are very individualistic and characteristic of ways of mastering the task. The black haired lady in the center is totally involved and dedicated to performing her best. Her colleague in the front row, more experienced, disciplines her cello in a controlled but independent way. The young girl to the left struggles with difficulties, while the man in front of her represents a more individualistic style. The couple at the far right are quite the opposite; both using the same style, even the same position. Playing the same from their youth until their retirement age seems boring. And the one with the walnut brown instrument? Why he does not play? Is he pausing, unsure of the score, unwilling to obey the conductor, criticizing the choice? Or is it simply not his turn yet?